January on the homestead

[Deberosa]

Seems the what's going on on the homestead thread is getting huge! I thought it might be a good idea to go by the month, then people can see what goes on month by month on homesteads and refer back to the year before. If that seems like a good idea let's start to post here for January. Sorry, can't move the other posts - maybe a mod can do that so January is all in one place?

Bookwormmom saw a frog today - I took a walk around ( the sun came out for 10 minutes!!!!) and my rhubarb is sprouting and the Red Hot Poker plant is sending out shoots. The onions are peeking out of the mulch! YEAH!

We got 4 bales of straw and put a thick bedding down in and just outside of the cow lean to. It was a sea of mud but it's still pretty nice today. It will all make good mulch come spring and now the bedding in the lean to is deep enough to take in the urine without being a mess in a day - yeah! I am not above adding 4 more bales if it comes to that! Daisy was funny- I dumped the bales over the fence with the tractor (it's one of those lessons - don't make your gates smaller than your tractor!). Kurt cut the strings off and pulled them out and Daisy did the spreading with her horns. She was really getting into it! THen T-Bone would just run around in circles, so they seemed to like the straw!

That's when I thought she was looking awfully fat - still haven't checked for a calf though - maybe tomorrow. Have to distract her with some grain. ;-)

[nancy1340]

Cool.

Pictures as we go along?

[rideaway]

Spent Sunday cleaning the horse lean-to and sinking into that mud that Deberosa covered up. I may have to get some old hay to throw down also. Then took the mare for a walk-was going to ride, but she was acting like a 2 year old instead of a 20 year old and I don't like falling off.

Started planting some daffodil bulbs-it's late to do it, but we are just finishing the flower beds around the new manufactured. As I was planting them, the thunder and lightening started up again, so the last 20 or so got stuck in any which way.

Spent today trying to calm down the 18 year old-seems the college messed up her financial aid, so she's about $500 short. I wish I could help her more, but I just can't, so looks like she'll have to take out another loan. I get so frustrated with the system.

Hoping tomorrow it will warm up some. I put the order in for our 4-H club members pigs today-I'm not sure I'm ready for piggies-luckily I have a while yet to prepare.

[Deberosa]

Well, so much for signs of spring!

4 inches of wet snow here today - glad my commute is only to the next room! ;-) And yes, I leave my Christmas lights on till I am good and ready to turn them off. They were pretty under the snow!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/deberosa/002.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/deberosa/003.jpg

[nancy1340]

Thanks :)

[DM]

We have NO show and it's raining... It was in the 60's yesterday, and upper 50's today...

We are having "crazy" weather.... I have traps set for muskrats, and i caught a turdle in one today! lol What is a turdle doing out in Jan.?? (BTW, i let him go)

Anyway, we had severe weather yesterday and a tornado warning... Is it REALLY jan??

I'd like to be milling some lumber, but not in the rain! I did manage to clean the gutters on the house though... lol

DM 8)

[nancy1340]

What's a turdle? Never saw one uf them critters. LOL

[DM]

ooohhh, i see we hav sleelin pulice herr, wood it hep ya ifin i changd it from a d oa a t fer ya?

DM

[Deberosa]

Hey don't look at me, I knew what you meant. ;D

[nancy1340]

ooohhh, i see we hav sleelin pulice herr, wood it hep ya ifin i changd it from a d oa a t fer ya?

*DM

Heck no! That would spoil all the fun of teasing you. :D

[conundrum]

Still cleaning up after the December 2nd/3rd storms. The mills are apparently not accepting any logs from private parties-Weyerhaeuser has so much blow down to deal with it is staggering.
And, FEMA is here. Hmm. So far they have given out some tarps. Oh, and some food cards for those that lost food as a result of power outages. I guess. I know of three scammers so far who sleazed their way through the system.
Did manage to dig two gallon bags worth of fresh carrots yesterday afternoon. Looks like another four or five feet in the row. I need to use the last three spaghetti squash soon. Apples are keeping, pondering pie...
That's it for now. c.

[LeatherneckPA]

Life is SO UNFAIR!!!

Normally I work 2p-10p, so I've got the mornings to work around the house. This week, with temps warm enough and weather nice enough to work outside, I happen to be reassigned to 8a-4p. And with a 1:25 commute I don't get home until after dark. I REALLY wanted to use this week to level those new garden boxes and start to fill them.

Maybe Friday will still be workable though. And I have to start building the chicken tractor. Has to be ready before the end of March.

[humbug]

The weather has been cruddy here all month with lots of snow. Typical January. I have been busy getting ready for the spring gardening season. I got part of my seeds ordered. I got a couple of market garden books read.
One of my corgis had puppies so I have been spending play time with them...they are so cute I will hate to get rid of them.
I have been working overtime since the weather is bad. I picked up some potted blackberry bushes that a friend gave me. She said she also had marigold seeds and zinnia seeds if I wanted any. She handed me a pillow case almost 3/4 full. So I have lots of these seeds. If anyone wants any let me know.
Did some wood cutting earlier in the month, but there is too much snow to get out into the mountains right now..I would hate to get stuck and have to walk out.
I am off work today. I am looking at ordering some chicks. Other than that I may be a lazy bum the rest of the day.

[MadTripper]

Unseasonably warm and rainy last night. Today the wind has picked up and the temperatures are going back down to normal January in the next day or so. Our heating system appreciates the warm weather but it's too early to think much about spring.

Had two chickens out yesterday. They only have a small yard for the time being and when there is snow on the ground they stay in the coop anyways. I guess the warmer weather made them a bit frisky. I'd like to butcher a couple this weekend if possible. I haven't done it before so it should be an experience to say the least.

Other than that we are about to order our fruit/nut trees. Roads are muddy but they'll freeze back up soon enough.

[Deberosa]

Humbug, great score on the seeds! I love marigolds and zinnias. Also like to grow calendulas and bachelor's buttons for easy color. The marigolds are great bug repellers! Check out this link for wildflower seeds, it's where I get my bachelor button seed and also Alyssum - I like growing that as a ground cover.

http://www.wildseedfarms.com


MadTripper, good luck on your first butchering! Here is a good link on steps - it's for a turkey but the process is the same:

http://www.freetimesw.com/blueoakranch/pasturedpoultry/turkeyprocessing.htm

We hope to get 12 roosters and 3 turkeys in the freezer this weekend. Also have an ad hitting tomorrow's paper for Buff Orpington Pullets - will clear out around 25 of those to get to a manageable flock! They are nice looking birds this time around despite their flying hoop house experience. Selling for $12 or 5 for $50 so I'll see. I think that's reasonable for pullets ready to start laying any day now.

Then I can start shifting feed money to seed money!

[MadTripper]

Here is the link to what I have been reading. Fortunately, there is an article in the latest issue of BWH as well. I have a few things to finish up before the weekend so as long as I get that stuff out of the way, I think I'll butcher at least one or so and see how it goes.

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Butchering-Ready.html

Tripper

[machinemaker]

It's cold and windy here on the pass, we realy haven't had a break from the cold. This time of year I hunker down, keep the wood stove going in the shop and have time to do my sculpture.
kent

[rideaway]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/rideaway_63/dollyontheloose.jpg

This is what was happening a day or so ago...my old mare spotted the gate left ajar and out she went. It took about 20 minutes to catch her, luckily it wasn't raining right then. Little brat-but she was pretty to watch!

[Northern_bushrat]

Still hoping in vain that the Khaki Campbells will start laying before spring. I already started rooting around for pots to start the first seeds in next month. Almost out of hay for duck litter, will have to make more of an effort to catch the sawdust from cutting firewood. Can't get straw in before late March. Still very little snow this winter so I couldn't bank around the duckhouse as much as I'd like to.
Woke up to a wolf concert a couple nights ago and had a cow moose watch the game of fetch I played with the dogs. And already three skidooers were out on the ice, which was very early and maybe not quite safe.

[Deberosa]

The sun came out here today and NO rain! It was a perfect day for processing and we got 12 roos into the freezer, but the three turkeys got a break because it started to get dark. The dark cornish definitely take longer to process than the cornish crosses that practically fall apart during processing! We have to decide if it's worth it...

Next no rain weekend day is going to see the turkeys and 6 more roosters into the freezer, then that will be it for a while!

Yesterday got a new load of hay for the cows and got them all set up for the remainder of the winter, plus the monthly grocery shopping - yuk.

[flatwater]

We have had a little break in the weather so after church I put some chains on the John Deer and plowed some slush then took a nap , worked on some computer surfing for selfreliant living and building then am about to sit back with a bowl of coffee hagen-daz ice cream and watch th last of the lonesome dove series called Camanche moon.
Flatwater

[bookwormom]

never a dull moment here.
I inherited a dog and my mother in law turned 90 yesterday. Of course I was glad when neighbors offered to take care of the critters so I could go and visit and help celebrate for a day and a half. we planned on leaving Friday night after feeding, so Friday morning the new dog went into labor. I sure feel sorry for her as I know how it is, it took her forever, we could not leave as planned, so decided to leave next morning early, I stayed with her until 3 AM and then she had another pup after we had left. I kept an eye on her because she is small and the father was big and two of the pups were stuck and I had to pull them out of her. I just don't know what to do with six pups.
the calf has been doing fine, I am glad he pulled through, he is drinking from momma now and is being frisky like a calf. We are getting about an egg a day. It is a bit too muddy in spots around the barn. we saw a huge flock of Canada geese grazing between Lexington and Winchester.
The weather is such that we are glad to have a home and a stove.

[Deberosa]

Great news on the calf, I was wondering how he was.

Rideaway - your horse is beautiful!

[Deberosa]

How are you processing your birds? Just put them in a ziplock bag and through them in the freezer, after you pluck and clean them?

Sunny and no rain here either.


Yes, they seem to do fine that way for the short time we have them there. The turkeys I will wrap in saran wrap several thicknesses and then foil because i will keep them longer. Most of these roosters fit snuggly in a gallon zip lock bag.

[bee_pipes]

Today we didn't get the showers we were being threatened with, and the temp got up to 45 degrees, so I figured it was time to get the compost buckets emptied. We're heading into a week of cooler temps, so this is the best day in the forseeable future. Chilly enough for washing out buckets with well water.

Yesterday was spent ad a friend's house taking down a big old oak. Got a nice butt out of it and a few really twisted pieces he wants for table tops. When the weather warms up again, we have some culling to do on the woodlot here at home, but for now I have a stack of logs ready to mill. If we get the sun, temps in the 40's can be pretty comfortable to work in.

Today my wife used a tortilla maker for dinner. Had leftover turkey saute'd with peppers and onions, wrapped in homemade tortillas slathered with refrieds. First time either of us tried making tortillas - turned out pretty good, and can't do anything but get better with practice.

Regards,
Pat

[GoodDaughter]

Nice weather here today. I spent the day tinkering with a bunch of potted plants and sorting seeds. I'm going to try to get some potatoes and onion sets planted this coming week. I would really like to plant some thornless blackberries this spring, but I'm afraid they will grow too much and take over. Still debating if I should get some or not.

Had to set the live trap for a raccoon last night. All I caught was cats! I went out during the night to check the trap and one of my male cats was in it. I reset it and then when I went out this morning, one of the females was in it ::) Hopefully they learned their lesson and won't mess around with the trap anymore.

I had to water the winter garden stuff today, we haven't had any rain for well over a week now, and the humidity is really low so things are drying out fast.

[rideaway]

Wierd weekend. Went to town Saturday to clean the pre-school I do janitorial for, then the rest of the day was gone-I took a nap because I had a headache, went down the road to load some wood (fir cut into rounds already) into the truck -mind you, we don't have a wood stove in the new house yet, too expensive, but we've got 8 cords of wood stocked up. Then watched "3:10 to Yuma" and the day was gone. Sunday slept in, did some sewing, then felt guilty cause hubby was out pruning the orchard, so I went out and picked up the suckers that he cut and put them in the brush pile he was burning. We didn't prune last year because of getting the property ready for the new home, so there were tons of branches all over the ground. But, we got 7 trees out of 8 pruned, so that was good.

Now work for the week, then a three day weekend! Which is good, because my 11 year old who turns twelve Friday is having a slumber party that will go until 3 pm on Saturday, so I'll need that extra day to recover!

[humbug]

Nice day to pull the kids behind snowmobiles.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/nvhumbug/000_0036.jpg

[Deberosa]

Pretty! It's cold and gray here. THis weekend is going to be pruning weekend for the blueberries and fruit trees and Heritage rasberries. It's supposed to get really cold starting Sunday (for here that means 20 degrees!). So pruning and burning the brush pile I've been storing up for the rainy season - that will be a nice warm chore. ;-)

Got a new mailbox to put up since the one I had got vandalized. >:( This one is a locking box. Have to go to the laundromat too - the septic drain field got flooded with the last rain storm. It's going back down but very slowly. >:( January can end any time now!

[pinetreefarm]

Deb,

What does the locking type of postal box look like and did you have to special order it?

That sounds like the perfect solution for vandals and also for those people who steal mail with checks in them. Thanks.

Pine

[Deberosa]

The best deals I found on Amazon.com

I go there and put in locking mailbox in the search.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-7603036-4849529?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=locking+mail+box

The one I got was this one:
http://www.amazon.com/MailGuard-Security-Mailbox-Black-579/dp/B000067A4K/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1200766954&sr=8-3

Mainly because it will easily go on my existing wood post. And I got the green version that they don't have anymore. It was only $65.

At my prior place I did have mail stolen so here I have all important stuff go to a po box, but since this one needed to be replaced and I get Netflix here because they don't fit in the po box I decided on this model because of price also. At my other place I did put in one of the metal versions you see on Amazon. Check the comments on the lock if you get the expensive version. The lock on the one I got was pretty flimsy and would stick - I did see comments to that effect on some of them. I also needed to hire a welder to cut the post down I had and put the box on the correct height and that was as expensive as the box! So I got one that would hold a bit of mail because I don't collect my junk mail every day, and at least discourage the casual thief.

[nancy1340]

Deb, if you want to give the "mail box baseballers" a shock sick a length of cast iron sewer pipe in your mail box. Next time some punk decides he wants to make a home run he'll get his bell rung.

[pinetreefarm]

Deb,

The one I saw appears too small for our mail...we get mountains of catalogs. I also buy lots of books and they would not fit either..Think I will have to keep looking but thanks for the information.

Pine